


Swan Song

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: 2018 Winter Olympics, Alternate Universe - Olympics, Behavioral Analysis Unit (Criminal Minds), Gen, Luge, Olympics, Skiing, Snowboard, Speed Skating, figure skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-03-17 01:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13648170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	1. Chapter 1

Cue internal raging.

Emily Prentiss was flat out in the pipe having whiffed the Double McTwist 1260 again. She was so damn close. If she could land it in competition, she would be the first woman ever to do it. She wanted it so goddamn bad.

Pushing up, she hopped and slid down the rest of the pipe to where her coach was waiting. Markus Leskov was one of the best coaches in the world; the only reason she’d been able to afford his services was because her mother had pulled strings, but that’s all her mother had done for her.

For the last 18 years, Emily had worked her ass off to gain her mother’s attention; she knew it - she didn’t try to fight it. Granted she loved snowboarding too; she was pretty sure ice ran through her veins in more ways than one, but the reason she pushed herself so hard was because she hoped that her mother would finally peel herself away from her work for a split second to notice her again.

“Am I deluding myself?” She asked Marcus. “Can I hit this?”

Leskov hadn’t told her, mostly just because he was never the kind to show a ton of affection, but he had never trained a harder worker and doubt he ever would. “You can. You’re not leaning into enough because the backside rodeo isn’t as smooth as it could be. You come out of that smooth and you’ll nail it. Go again.”

Emily breathed deeply and saluted her coach before heading back up. “Got it, coach.” He believed in her...that should be enough, right?  
\---

“I love you, too,” Matt said into the phone. “Take care of the little man and the even newer little man.”

Kristy laughed as she ran her hand over her ever-protruding belly. “Love you. Bye, honey,” Kristy replied. Their second son, Jake, was due in a month, so she hadn’t been able to accompany Matt to the Olympics this year; she didn’t feel too bad though. His mother and father had gone with him and she and their eldest son David, would be watching on TV. 

David was so excited about getting to see his father on screen. I’m gonna be just like daddy when I grow up, he’d said as he made a sign for him. Matt couldn’t see it obviously, but David was going to hold it up anyway and send the pictures from across the globe.

After hanging up the phone, Matt handed it off to his coach and sped around the rink. He was competing in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter races, as well as the team pursuit. His legs were going to turn into jelly, but it was nothing like the pain that Kristy went through before and would be repeating in a matter of weeks, so he considered him blessed and leaned into the turn.  
\---

“I’m in!”

Spencer Reid spun around, his hair smacking into his face as he turned to see his friend of 20 years, Jennifer Jareau. The previous day he’d been notified of his acceptance to the American skating team; he was in his early, almost mid-20s. In skating age, that was pretty ancient - almost retirement age, so this was his last shot, and it was JJ’s too. “You’re on the team?”

“Yes!” JJ skated toward him, her white practice dress floating gently in the breeze she created. “I made it! This is the last chance for us, yea?”

Nodding, Spencer spun her around and started going through his routine in his mind. “I’d say so, so let’s give it our all and go out with a bang, okay?” He grabbed her hands and spun around in a circle. He’d been practicing day in and day out for nearly 20 years straight. He’d been so close in the past and so had JJ; they’d worked too hard for this.

"I plan on it.”

“Damn right, you do!” JJ turned around to see her sister, Rosaline, and coach, Alex Blake glide out onto the ice. Rosaline won the gold at the 2010 Olympics; JJ always wanted to be like her. This Olympics was her last shot to do it.

As if she could sense JJ’s thoughts, Rosaline cupped her sister’s face in her hands. “Stop comparing yourself to me. Your routines are amazing. If you nail them, the gold is yours. They’re the most difficult of the women’s routines. You’ll practice and the moment you step on that ice you’re gonna let everything go and have fun because this is what you love, okay?”

JJ swallowed the lump in her throat and rested her head against her sister’s before shooting Alex a hesitant smile. Rosaline was right, but letting things go was easier said than done. “Alright, I’m ready to start. Let’s do this,” she said with a huff of air and an even deeper breath.

“What about Spencer?” Alex asked, reaching out to greet the young man she’d come to know over the years. "You done yet?”

“No, but I’m still waiting for Hotch to get here. He’s running late today,” Spencer replied. His coach, Aaron Hotchner had come down with the flu recently. He, his wife Haley, and son Jack had been passing it back and forth - leaving him to coach Spencer over Skype. “Spencer, I can’t coach you in person right now. I can’t risk getting you sick before you try out for the Olympics!”

That had actually been for the best, but it was going to be nice to see his coach again. Despite his seniority, Spencer considered Hotch a friend; he’d put faith in him and his abilities when so few would, and had even slashed the price of services after seeing Spencer’s mother work herself to the bone to give her son the best shot at succeeding in the sport. “You start. I’ll wait for Hotch and watch your routine. I don’t think I’ve seen the whole thing yet.”

“And I haven’t seen yours either”

“You will.”  
\---

Searing pain ripped through her the second she hit the ground. “Elle Greenaway, 19, of the United States is down!” The announcer was speaking. What happened? 

“Do you know your name?”

“Elle Greenaway,” she replied softly, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She was going on her gold medal run. “What happened?”

“Freak accident. One of your skis flew off mid jump.” In a panic, she looked down; she could barely feel her lower half. “Don’t move,” the man insisted. 

“I can’t feel my legs...I can’t feel my legs...I can’t feel my legs...”

As her feet hit the ground, she smiled. Her father jumped up and down, screaming about how amazing his “little girl” was until she skied up to him, embracing him. “How did that feel?” He asked. Beside him, her mother was sobbing.

“Good,” she breathed. “So good.”

“We couldn’t be more proud of you, Elle,” her mother said, sniffling. 

On that day eight years ago, she had fractured one her lower vertebrae; it took years of physical therapy and additional years of competing again to get back to where she’d been, but she was here. The Sochi Olympics had passed her by, and for a time following the 2014 games she found herself in a slump, but with her parents’ encouragement, she pushed through. Once again, she had a shot at gold.  
\---

Her skate hit the ice and they both screamed. 

Penelope Alvez nee Garcia screeched in delight. Her mouth dropped open and her husband came up behind her, hugging her tightly. “Increible, mi reina,” he whispered softly.

“You too, my love,” she replied, reaching back and rubbing his cheek with the palm of her hand. They had been practicing together for more than two decades now, and only now had they been able to consistently land one of the hardest moves in the art of pairs skating - the throw triple axel. “We really have a shot this year. We could win.”

“As long as I’m with you, I always win,” Luke said. 

Penelope snorted, her face blushing under the adulation of her husband and the cool breeze coming off the ice as they skated. “Flattery will get you everywhere.” This was going to be their last Olympics together. Presumably, they’d always be skating; both felt like it was in their blood, but after this year, they wanted to focus on something else - starting a family. 

For the last year, they’d been happily married, and both husband and wife wanted nothing more than to add to their family and introduce all the little Alvezes to the sport they loved so much. “Now all we have to do is make sure we nail the throw triple axel, the death spiral, the 2 overhead lifts, the jump sequence, the pair spin and the choreography and we have this in the bag,” Penelope said, shrugging under the pressure.

“The throw was the hardest and we’re doing it consistently. We’ve got this.” Luke had more than enough faith in them for the both of them. Years from now, he was sure they’d be able to tell their kids about the time mommy and daddy won gold at the Olympics.  
\---

It felt weird not being on the slopes. Kate Callahan had never done any other activity during her years in school and beyond. After seeing the Olympics as a child, specifically Heidi Preuss, she told her parents she wanted to ski. They’d tried getting her into other sports as well. They’d attempted to get her into musical instruments. But she wanted nothing else than to ski. “You think you’re ready?” Her coach, Maureen Zechmeister asked as they clinked glasses. It wasn’t booze, but it was a toast all the same. She only asked because she wanted to gauge Kate’s own belief in herself.

“I think I’ve got this. I’m gonna medal. I can feel it,” she smiled, taking a sip of her Diet Coke. In 2014, she nearly qualified, but came in fourth during qualifications. The past four years had been non-stop training and she’d qualified in first.

She and Maureen arrived in Pyeongchang a few days ago and had been training ever since, but Maureen was not about training oneself into the ground. “I do too. You’ve been training hard.” Her parents emerged from around the corner and waved. “You ready to eat?”

“Ummm...always.”  
\---

“Now, what did you do wrong?” Rossi asked as he approached Derek sprawled out on the slope.

Like his sister Desiree, Derek sought constant perfection in the hopes of proving their living mother and now deceased father proud. Little did they realize that both had always and would always remain proud of the three children they loved so much. David had first hand knowledge; he’d started as Derek’s coach after his father died. Promise me you’ll help his mother and look out for him.

Derek looked up, his brow furrowed in aggravation. “I’m trying to hard to make the best time and I’m bombing,” he said flatly, referring to the act of going recklessly fast down the slope.

“Exactly,” Rossi replied. “You want to carve, not bomb. You have this; you’re just pushing yourself too hard.”

Extending his hand, Rossi helped Derek up and caught his attention. “Hey, kid. Look at me.”

Derek was frustrated, his eyes scanning far off in the distance. He knew what Rossi was going to say and although he appreciated it, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear right now. 

“What am I, wood?” Rossi chuckled, slapping Derek’s shoulder. Once he had his attention, he continued. “You have all the skill necessary to win every event you’re in.” He hated seeing Derek so heavy with emotion. “I know why you try as hard as you do. He is proud. No matter whether you win or not. You know what he said to me all the time? Practically every day before he went to work?”

“No, what?” He actually didn’t know. “He told me he was proud all the time, encouraged me and everything , but...that’s a parent thing.”

Rossi huffed and leaned against the pole. “No, that’s a good parent thing,” he replied. Rossi was with Joy how Derek’s father had been with him. “He encouraged you and supported you and lived his life the way he did because he believed, and I quote ‘children are apt to live up to what their parents believe of them.’ He thought the world of you and your sister’s, and you’ve already succeeded expectations, okay?”

Jabbing his poles into the ground, Derek took a deep breath of the cool mountain air and smiled despite himself. “Deep down, I know it. It’s just...”

“It’s hard,” Rossi finished. “He’s never far from your mind.”

“Exactly.”  
\---

It astounded Tara Lewis that her father could watch her come down the track in Olympic record pace for luging and yet say nothing, but this is how it had always been. He attempted to be fatherly by physically placing himself in her presence, but he never really showed her any indication of pride - only resentment that she had succeeded where he brother had failed.

Steven had always been the favorite - typical son over daughter bullshit, but honestly, Tara was pretty sure that if her father hadn’t been exactly how and who he was, she wouldn’t be where she is now. Tara worked harder and harder every day with her coach, Alexandra Heismer (who was more of a parent than her father had ever been), in order to succeed proudly, and in his face. “Olympic record pace, Dad!” She exclaimed, purposely pumping her fists in the face of his disappointment. “At this rate, I could pull out a world record run.”

Pulling off her helmet, she let her hair fly free and smiled up at the board. “Opening ceremony is tonight, so I’m gonna stop on a high today and go get ready.”

“You think you’ve trained enough?” Her father asked. There was a distinct hint of jealousy in his voice, not for himself, but for Steven. 

Tara nodded as she walked away. In 2010, she placed 5th. Four years later, she won bronze. This year was her golden run, and hopefully 2022 would follow suit. “Definitely. It’s my year.”  
\---

It was the Americans turn to enter the stadium. Everyone gathered into a large group, intermingling by sport. “Ready?” Tara asked the woman standing next to her.

“Oh me?” Emily replied. “Yup, I’m ready to go. What are you competing in?”

“Luge. You?”

“Snowboard cross and halfpipe.” Emily took in the look on the other woman’s face - almost free. “You look happy.”

“I am,” Tara replied. “I’ve worked my ass off, and I can’t wait to shove my success in my father’s face.”

Emily snorted as the group began to walk. “You have parent issues too? And we’re walking together. Fantastic,” she said. “Although I live and breathe snowboarding, I am wondering if my mother will actually give a shit if I medal.”

As they continued on, they found out that they were competing, for the most part, on opposing days. “You cheer me on, I’ll cheer you?” Tara asked.

“Sounds good to me.”

They marched onward with the rest of the American athletes, meeting up with people they’d known for years and introducing themselves to those they’d never met. The two women were familiar with Spencer Reid and Jennifer Jareau, considering that figure skating tended to be the most spoken about winter sport. Emily was stunned that she’d never met Derek Morgan before, though she’d heard his name in passing.

In turn, Spencer and JJ met up with Luke and Penelope, having last seen them at their wedding the year before. Though they lived across the US from each other, they kept in touch after meeting years earlier at the World Championship. 

JJ also saw Elle Greenaway from across the group and ran over with Spencer in tow to introduce herself and tell her how inspirational she found her. “I watched your first Olympics when I was 16, and my heart broke for you, but I’ve been following your career ever since. Spencer and I are actually going to be there tomorrow when you compete.”

“That’s amazing! It’s so nice to met you both,” Elle replied with tears in her eyes.

They were nearing the halfway point when Matt introduced himself to JJ and Spencer introduced himself to Kate. The entire group of nearly 300 American athletes delving into random conversations about their sports or what they happened to have for lunch that day. It was somehow small scale and the largest scale possible.

It didn’t matter whether or not it was their first games, their second or without a doubt their last, walking at the opening ceremony and competing as a whole left them all euphoric - pressure be damned.


	2. Elle

“What are you doing? Get up,” Barry exclaimed.

Her coach, Barry Driskel, could be heard in the distance. She wanted to shut him out.

“Get up, Elle.”

She was so tired; she wanted to give up. Maybe this just wasn’t meant for her. The barrier had barely kept her from sliding down the hill. Then he was standing over her. 

“Elle Greenaway, get up right now.”

The tears started to fill her eyes as he stretched his hand out and pulled her up and as they streamed down her face she noticed the steam fighting against the slight wind that plagued the hill. After two minutes in silence, she wiped the tears from her eyes. “You done?” Barry asked, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder. 

She nodded.

“You feel better?”

Again, she nodded.

“Good, you want to give up?”

“No,” she said staunchly. “I want this. It’s just so…”

“Hard,” Barry replied, smiling. “Being an Olympian isn’t easy, but you’ve worked too hard to stop now.”

\---

Qualifiers were over!

For most people, qualifiers were even more nerve-wracking than finals, but not for Elle. She’d been here before - on the cusp of glory, on the cusp of realizing years and years of payoff - but then a freak incident derailed her for nearly five years.

Two rounds. She had two jumps to make her mark eight years later.

Thankfully, the wind was at a minimal. She had ideal conditions for her first jump. 

In-run.

Takeoff.

Flight.

Landing.

Four simple steps. Simple…not really.

As she took a deep breath, she zeroed in on her parents below. There was no clear-cut favorite, but she was in a group of favorites to medal, and she was jumping right in the middle of the group. Not first, not last; she had to set the standard with her first jump.

“Ready?” Barry asked.

When she looked around, she nodded silently, scanning the crowd in the stands. Below, on the ground, her parents were waiting for her, and in the stands, just as they’d claimed, Jennifer Jareau and Spencer Reid were watching. Elle couldn’t help but smile when Jennifer started jumping up and down and screaming for her. 

It was amazing. But now there was even more pressure.

“I’m good to go.”

Barry clapped her on the shoulder and smiled against the cold. Despite he sport, he wasn’t meant for this weather; Hawaii would be better for him - minus his inability to tan. “You’ve got this, kiddo.”

The roar of the crowd made her heart swell as she slipped on her goggles and pulled up her mask against the wind that would soon be whipping against her face. All eyes were on her and she knew it. Would Elle Greenaway fall again and put herself out of the sport forever?

Sliding onto the start bar, she tuned out the hum of the crowd and listened to her heart beat, waiting to be given the all clear to start her jump. Once she had it she slid off the bar, slowly crouching as the skis glided comfortably in the grooves. With her arms at her sides, she leaned forward and eased into the slide until she could see the end of the table. All within a margin of a tenth of a second, she had to use her speed, weight and gravity to push away from the takeoff. 

In the air, she wondered how she had ever once considered giving up. Her first jump was done all too quickly as she heard the roar of the crowd come to life again. 

Best jump of the day so far at 103.5 meters.

“That’s my baby!!!!!!!!!!!”

Elle snorted with laughter, maintaining her perfect balance as she slid towards her parents. “That’s my girl,” he said, grabbing her face in his hands. “That was amazing.”

“Thanks, dad.”

\---

After the first round, her score managed to hold up; she was in first place with a 124.7 points.

“How are you feeling?” Jennifer asked.

During her wait time from one jump to the next, Elle decided it was better for her to talk to people rather than isolate herself. If she did that, all she’d think about was what might happen if she failed again. “I’m pretty good,” she breathed. “I feel really good actually.”

JJ couldn’t contain her enthusiasm for one of her heroes. “I can’t imagine how you do it.”

“Isn’t it scary?” Spencer asked. Being up that high gave him the heebie-jeebies. 

That was a question she heard quite a lot. “No actually. Even after 2010. When I’m up in the air, I feel free. I think that astronauts, or people that jump from planes might have the same feelings.”

That was something Spencer couldn’t comprehend. “What? Being on the ice isn’t scary for you?” She asked. “I always imagined when you spin like that you could slice your ankles with the blade or something.”

“Accidents happen,” Spencer laughed. “But for me, I’m more likely to cut myself when I’m putting on my skates.”

JJ snickered. “Yea, he’s kind of a klutz.”

“Shut up.”

Barry gave her the signal. It was time for her second jump. “Alright, I’ve gotta go. Jump two calls my name.”

“Good luck, Elle,” JJ replied.

“Thanks.” As she walked away, she found herself more confident than she had in a long time. She appreciated the luck…but she wasn’t sure she’d actually need it.

\---

“Do you want to stop?” Her father asked. His eyes were sincere, concerned, uncertain. 

Elle shrugged. To be honest, she didn’t know anymore.

The physical therapy had been so painful. She could’ve taken it slower, but speeding up the process wasn’t completely advised against and it would mean she’d be able to compete in 2018. “I’m in so much pain,” she sighed, a tear falling from the corner of her eye and onto her father’s shirt as she leaned into his chest. Her mother was at her back, softly skimming her fingers over her shoulders. “It’s so hard to know if the pain is worth it.”

“Only you can determine that,” her mother replied. 

“I don’t know how to.”

Her father kissed the top of her head where her hair fell silkily onto her shoulders and her mother grabbed her hand, giving Elle’s fist a kiss. “I think I have a way.”

“Yea?” Elle turned toward her mother, wincing at the soreness of her muscles. The physical therapy and consistent training had crossed over. Every muscle in her body ached. “What is it?”

“Clear your head and closed your eyes.”

She did as she was told and listened for her mother’s voice. “Favorite color?”

“Orange.”

“Tea or coffee?”

“Coffee, duh.”

Her father chuckled at her side as his wife asked her question after question - Elle’s answers coming more swiftly with each passing second until he was pretty sure she wasn’t actually thinking about her answers. Exactly what her mother had intended. “Can you imagine not jumping anymore?”

“No,” Elle replied immediately. “I have to fly.”

Leaning in, her mother placed a kiss on her forehead. “Then I think you have your answer.”

\---

It was like she had wings.

Within ten seconds, the entire jump from start bar to out-run was over.

She screeched as her skis hit the ground past the green line, her legs bent and arms spread out to the side to absorb the impact. “Yes!” She could barely hear herself over the insanity of the crowd. Her mother was sobbing.

When she turned to look at the board, she saw her distance - 107 meters.

“And the scores for Elle Greenaway, making a comeback after her devastating accident in 2010…” The announcer was waiting in anticipation along with everyone else, each word hanging in the air. “265.6!”

The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back on the snow. She was still in first, having outdone her first jump. Now all she had to do was wait; the work was over.

\---

As the other six skaters began their jumps, Elle stood arm-in-arm with her parents at the bottom of the hill. Barry stood behind them, beaming with pride. “You’ve got this, kiddo.”

“I’m not getting ahead of myself,” Elle said. But it got harder and harder not to celebrate as five of the six jumpers went and failed to better her score. “If anyone is going to beat me, it’s her.” One of the best in the world, Sofia Abeln of Germany was the last one up.

Sofia slipped off the start bar. Elle couldn’t deny her form looked great, but as she began the takeoff, Sofia seemed to be fighting her course. She came close to Elle’s line. It was too close to call for sure.

Instantly, everyone’s eyes shot toward the scoreboard, eyes refusing to blink even thought they were tearing against the cold. “The score for Sofia Abeln…”

“…” Elle’s parents screamed. She couldn’t hear anything, but as she stared at the board, she saw Abeln below her - second place. 

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!” 

She hopped up and fell onto her knees, bursting into tears.

“You did it, baby!” Her father exclaimed. “Eight years of hard work. My gold medal girl!”

Every ounce of pain - mental and physical - had been worth this moment.

\---

Her athletes were slacking - or they had too many distractions. She was planning on sweeping the podium. With The Clear in her grasp, she slipped it into his drink and sealed it up tight, walking outside to the oval. It was time to see how well this really worked.


	3. Luke and Penelope

Nope. 

Not right now.

She couldn’t say anything right now.

They’d worked too hard for this. It would be a distraction.

“Pen?”

Shaking her head, Penelope banished all other thoughts from her mind and turned toward her husband. After nailing their short program, they were going last tonight. They would know exactly how they needed to perform in order to grab the gold. And then, when it was all over, she could think about anything else she wanted, but right now if either of them allowed any thoughts other than their routine to snake into their brains, they’d screw up this moment they’d worked so hard for. “Yea? Sorry baby, just thinking about stuff.”

“Gold around our necks?” Luke laughed as they started to practice their first lift sans skates. “Because that’s what I’m thinking about.”

“That’s one of the many things I’m thinking about.”

Luke leaned in and pressed a kiss to his wife’s lips. “You ready for this?”

She took a deep breath and let it go, smiling wide as the cameras panned in on the two of them. “Yea, we’ve been doing this routine well and consistently. I think we’re good.”

“Not nervous because all the other teams have been doing really well?”

Penelope took a deep breath, cutting her eyes at Luke for even mentioning the fact that their competitors had been doing well, which meant their routine needed to be perfect. “Our routine is harder than everyone else’s and we’ve been doing it for months now, so we just have to go out there and do what we we’re born to do.”

“First after the short program. Representing the United States of America, Luke Alvez and Penelope Alvez!” 

Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir sat with bated breath waiting for the music to begin. “This is definitely going to be one of the sexiest free skates we’ve seen this Olympics, not only because of the choice of music, but these two are newly married and the routine is hot, hot, hot!” Johnny said excitedly. His own ensemble was the only one that might be able to outshine the Alvez’s deep red chiffon outfits, speckled with gold accents.

As Propuesta Indecente began, a hush came over the crowd. “We can do this,” Luke whispered as he pulled Penelope into their starting position - his hand around her waist and the other cradling her cheek. 

“I know.” 

The ice under their feet was smooth as silk. Her eyes were fixed on his and she pushed everything else out of her mind. Nailing this first element would set the pace for the rest of the routine.

“They’re entering their twist lift now,” Tara said softly. “They have either a triple or a quadruple planned but they wouldn’t say which.”

A roar erupted from the crowd as Penelope fell into her husband’s arms. She saw him mouth “quad” as she fell back into his arms; she knew it, but in the haze and glory of competition it would’ve been easy to lose track of what they were doing - it was so ingrained in the brain and the muscles.

They swiftly moved into their solo spins dancing like shadows in the night, side by side with perfect synchronicity. Out of the spins, Luke pulled his wife across the ice by her ankle, the soft chiffon of her outfit floating in the breeze coming off the rink. 

Penelope felt her heart race. They were heading into their throw triple axel. If they did this, it was smooth sailing - nothing else was anywhere near as difficult. Bracing herself, she relaxed her muscles and felt Luke’s hand come around her waist and lift her into the air.

“Throw triple axel!” Johnny screamed. “Their grade of execution is going to be perfect for that element! I’m calling it now!”

Again, the roar of the crowd told them what they needed to know. They’d done this so many times before, but nothing could’ve felt better than landing it in competition. Luke gave the crowd the smallest of fist bumps as they truly relaxed into their routine, everything else taking over.

Now that the biggest elements of their routine were done and executed well, they could allow the playful side of their routine to come out. Penelope played to crowd, her smile reaching all the way up into the rafters, while Luke played to her; to him she was the only woman in the room. 

Despite the ice beneath their feet, both felt the heat rise within them as the routine progressed. Each push off their feet made their legs burn more and more. Their lungs were on fire. A four and a half minute routine was made to seem effortless; it was anything but. She balanced herself on his outstretched hand, floating delicately above his head as they executed the second of two lifts. 

More than anything though, this was exactly what they were meant to be doing. It felt completely right to be here, performing to the crowd for one last time. This was their swan song, and it was going to be one of their best performances ever. 

Penelope blew Luke a kiss as they glided toward the far end of the ice; she lied, they did have the jumping sequence to hit, but as both fluidly moved from a triple loop to a double toe, another weight lifted. Both of them felt so light they could’ve been skating up in the rafters. There was nothing like it. 

The death spiral was their final element. It required the utmost trust, and they both had it in each other. Luke grabbed her hand and dipped her down to the ice, leaning back into the turn. Throws, lifts, jump sequences, step sequences - everything else had been executed as perfectly as they were ever going to do it and as she was lifted from the ice and into their final spin sequence while the song came to a close she knew they’d done it.

Penelope backed into Luke’s chest, her hands flying back to tangle through his hair and then it was all over. Tears started to fall as it all came to a head. They’d done a perfect routine and it was their last. Feelings of relief, bittersweetness, utter joy and uncertainty for the future rolled through her. “We did it!” Luke cried. He pulled her in for a kiss much to the crowd’s enjoyment.

A colorful array of teddy bears fell onto the ice as they took their final bows. It felt surreal to be here - doing this for the final time. After the short program, they were in first with 107.63; they needed over 145.79 in order to take the gold.

The high of the crowd kept Penelope from saying what she had been meaning to say all night. First, their score, then she could think of something else. 

“Why do these scores always take so long?” Luke laughed, turning to their coach. 

“It’s been 30 seconds since you sat down,” she laughed in reply.

Penelope was still trying to process it all. They’d skated their last competitive skate. But it had been perfect. But it was also all over - for real. They were the last couple to skate which meant this score decided it all. “The score for Luke Alvez and Penelope Alvez…”

“151.42 for a total score of 259.05, which puts them in first place,” the announcer stated. 

Luke lifted Penelope into the air and spun her around. “We did it!”

She burst into tears and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh my god, we did it! Holy cow!” 

Their coach embraced them both, congratulating them on a job well done. Penelope’s makeup was starting to run. “Baby! Why you crying so hard!? We won!”

“I know,” she cried, pulling away to wipe the tears from her face. “I’m just so overwhelmed!”

Luke laughed and picked her up. “Me too, preciosa. We’ve worked so hard for this.”

“No, that’s not it!”

“Then what is it?” He asked, beaming his megawatt smile toward the crowd.

The cameras were trained on them, but she didn’t care. “It’s just…there’s so much going on!”

“Like what?” Now he was confused.

“We won gold and…now it’s all over, and-”

“It’s bittersweet,” he replied knowingly. “But we went out on a high.”

“And…and…” She was smiling so wide Luke was sure her face was going to crack. But this, her utter joy in everything she did, was one of the things that made him fall for her. 

“And what?”

“I’m pregnant!” She exclaimed.

Immediately, Luke broke into a smile that could’ve outshone the sun. “You’re what?”

“We’re gonna have a baby.” Penelope started jumping up and down on her skates. “We’re gonna have a little Alvez!” 

Luke was in shock. “Wait, so we just won gold at the Olympics and now we’re gonna have a baby?”

Penelope bit the corner of her lip and nodded, giggling as Luke removed the covers from his blades and lifted her up, skating back out onto the ice and screaming for all the world to hear. “We’re having a baby!”


	4. Matt

“Qualifiers were hell,” Matt said.

He was in the fifteen minute window where he wasn’t training, Kristy was awake and they could talk for point two seconds.

“What happened?” She asked, wincing as the baby kicked her in the stomach. “I haven’t been able to watch qualifiers. I do have the actual races taping though.”

“Well, first, the 5,000 I almost didn’t qualify for, not because of time, I was three-thousandths of a second off the guy from Japan but I only made it because he somehow made an illegal lane change.”

“Really?” She exclaimed. 

Sure she wasn’t a skater, but from what she gathered about her husband’s sport of choice switching lanes in between laps was something that was ingrained into their systems. Mistakes could be made in any sport, but an illegal lane change seemed uncommon.

“Yea,” Matt said. “I feel bad, but I’m also in the finals now, so- but yea, his coach is the one that told him to change lanes. From the look on his face I would say he’s been exhausted and just wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Kristy grimaced as she fixed dinner for David. “Well, that sucks, but I’m glad you’re in. What about the 10,000?”

“Qualified first,” he said proudly. “It is my race.” His coach gave him a wave, throwing a bottle to one of his teammates before signaling him that it was time to get back to work. “Okay, I have to get back to it.”

Kirsty missed him, but with David home, Matt not, and a baby on the way, she was starting to get a little overwhelmed. “Okay. I love you,” she said softly.

“I love you too.”

When he hung up the phone, he placed it back in his bag, which he left on the side of the rink and took the drink offered by his coach. “How’s Kristy?” Barnes asked. Linda Barnes, a former speed skater herself, had been coaching athletes for years now; she didn’t know how to let go of the sport she loved so much. After being so dominant in her sport, she strove for power and recognition at all costs. Matt was distracted by a wife and kids at home, another of her protégés was going through a divorce and the last just wasn’t up to par with the rest of the field. If she had any hope of making a bigger name for herself and becoming a member of the IOC, she needed her athletes to succeed. 

“She’s good. Has the races taping at home,” Matt replied after taking a sip of his water. “Ready to get back to work?”

“Always.”

“What options do you have for me, mate?”

Doyle had been doping for years; he was at the top of his game. While he didn’t want anyone beating him at his own game, he did want to make some money. Skiing was all he was good at. Once he couldn’t compete anymore, he needed a steady source of income; what better way to make money than to provide other athletes with the resources necessary to achieve greatness?

Everything he did was under the table. Every doping method he had access to was filtered through someone else. He answered to Foyet, also an athlete who’d competed in biathlon for years. Foyet had a couple of underlings…Hastings and Curtis if he remembered correctly, and then the ever-elusive Peter Lewis, the head of the entire European and American distribution operation that none of them had ever met. Very few had. “Depends on what you’re looking for, Yates. You want consistency or a one-off?”

As Yates met his gaze, Doyle knew he had him on the ropes. This was almost to easy. If it weren’t for the money, he’d probably stop; this wasn’t even a challenge anymore.

“Oh my god,” she breathed, looking on as Yates left Doyle’s room, syringe sticking conspicuously out of his jacket. The only reason she knew Doyle was because he was a snowboarder for the Irish. She’d met him a couple of time before. After Sochi, how could anyone be so stupid as to bring this shit into the Olympic Village? Sure, certain athletes were going to be doping no matter what, but how could they be so stupid as to bring it so close to the action? Picking up the phone, she started dialing. This was surely going to come back to bite some of her fellow athletes, but with friends that had worked so hard to get where they are, she needed their own integrity, and hers, intact. “I have to tell someone.” 

Matt was in the final race of the 5,000. Either silver or gold was within his reach. “Alright, skating for Kristy. Skating for Kristy,” he mumbled to himself as the skates glided across the ice toward the start line.

“Ready.”

He stilled himself at the start line and then the gun went off. Although he wanted to win, he was going against another American by the name of Jack Garrett. They trained together frequently, and although Jack was definitely good (he had to be to be here) Matt was under most circumstances markedly better than him, which is why Matt found it interesting that Jack was the one he was competing against. 

As he leaned into the first turn, his hand skimming the ice and the cheers of his countryman pushing him on, he looked over to see Garrett right on this tail. He must’ve been training around the clock because it seemed like he’d gotten significantly better.

The key with these longer races was to take it easier in the start and push more toward the end. If you blew your metaphorical load at the start, you’d never last, so he clasped his hands behind his back, swiftly powering through the turns for the first 10 laps. With only two and a half more to go, he pushed through the searing pain in his legs and started leaning into the turns more. No matter what he did, it wasn’t enough. Garrett was right on his heels. He pushed and he pushed and he pushed, but Garrett inched him out at the finish line; he’d have to settle for silver.

How the hell had Garrett managed that?

Matt had been the overwhelming favorite to win gold for both the 5,000 and the 10,000, so having been beaten in 5,000 took a toll on his self-esteem, especially because he hadn’t seen it coming. Kristy said how proud she was, but something about the whole thing didn’t feel right. Matt felt like he was losing his touch. 

A few days later was the 10,000 and again he found himself easily into the final for gold. Well, as easily as skating 10,000 meters could possibly be. This race was going to be a challenge, but his rival, a Dutchman, was off his game as of the past few days, so hopefully he’d be able to take advantage of that.

Just as he had days earlier, he readied himself at the start line and burst forward at the sound of the gun. The breeze against his face, the screams of the crowd and the clap of the skate on the ice was all he was registering. No doubts. No worries, especially because Jack seemed off after his win the other day - very irritable and pushy. No pain. Definitely no pain. There was no room for pain. Even more than the 5,000, this race was his race. 

Nothing penetrated his mind as he skimmed over the ice, around the turns and into the straightaways. His back was low to the ice, his legs were absolutely 100 percent on fire, but he had a significant lead. All he had to do was keep it. 

A 12 to 13-minute race felt like an hour.

He was going into the last turn feeling like he was on top of the world. When he crossed the finish line, he screamed. “Yes!” He did it. Gold medal. His lungs burned, his legs felt like jelly, but he did it.

Unfortunately, his joy didn’t last long. Shortly after he left the ice, Barnes informed him that Jack had been admitted to a local hospital in Pyeongchang with what seemed to be acute liver failure. “What the hell happened?” He asked.

“I have no idea,” Barnes replied.

Matt shook his head. He didn’t have to be at the medal ceremony until hours later, so he decided to go give his teammate a visit. “Congratulations though,” she added. “You’ve earned this.”

He felt like he had, but somehow the whole feeling was tampered with knowing his teammate was sick.


	5. Allyson Reid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An OC twin sister of Spencer Reid belonging to my friend remember-me-forever-silent-angel on tumblr, used of course with her permission.

“What are you talking about?” Garrett screamed. “I didn’t take anything.”

Matt couldn’t believe it. That’s why Garrett had beaten him out for the 5,000 meter; he’d been doping. But it couldn’t be. That wasn’t Garrett. Was it? He swore he knew his teammate, but now he was questioning everything.

His teammate turned to him in desperation. “Simmons, you know that’s not me, right?”

“I thought so,” he said, looking toward the doctors. “But they say it’s in your system.”

Garrett grabbed the paper out of the doctor’s hand and shoved it in Matt’s face. “I’m not denying that! I’m saying I’m not the one that put it there!”

Given that Matt had finished his races, he felt the need to stay with Garrett and make sure he was okay. Their coach, Linda Barnes, was doing damage control doubling as a PR agent. After finishing up a small interview with a local station back in the states to update the country on Garrett’s condition, she came back inside. “You!” He screamed, backing Barnes into the wall by the throat.

“Jack, what are you doing?!” Matt boomed, catching the other man by the arms and pulling him backward.

In a rage he’d never felt before, Jack turned back to his teammate. “She’s the only one that’s had access to my drinks!”

\---

After Ally had called JJ to tell her about the doping in Olympic Village and made her promise to tell her coach, Alex, who would then tell Erin Strauss, one of the IOC members, she hung up the phone and felt a pit of something in her stomach - acid? Barf? Regret? Fear? Maybe all of it. 

She’d called JJ first because she needed a way to get in touch with a member of the IOC and JJ’s coach had a history, though strained, with one, but now she needed to call her brother.

“Spence?”

“Ally? Am I losing my mind or don’t you have finals today? I’m on my way to you now.”

“You’re not losing your mind. I do. I just needed to call you and tell you something.” 

Ally was his opposite. He was always stressed about being the best at his sport. He loved it, but there was always pressure. Ally on the other hand was all about having fun on the slopes. Sure, she wanted to succeed, but she just loved the thrill of putting down the most amazing tricks, so hearing the strain in her voice put him on edge. “Ally, what’s wrong?”

“There are people doping in Olympic village.” She knew her brother would never ever ingest anything like that, but that didn’t mean that someone couldn’t do it without his knowledge. 

Spencer hesitated for a moment. “It’s not like people are always doing that Ally.”

“No, I know that. I mean I saw someone do a deal in the village.”

Okay that was a different story. “Did you tell anyone?”

“I called JJ because I know Alex has a strained relationship with Strauss and I wanted someone from the IOC to know.” She was so nervous that someone she loved was going to be affected by this. 

Spencer motioned to Hotch, letting him know who was on the phone. “Okay, that’s good. It’s going to be okay. I’m not doing it. JJ isn’t either and neither are you, so keep your head focused and go out there and have fun, alright? I’ll be there to cheer you on soon.”

Ally shook her head and took a deep breath. Her brother was right. This was what she loved; she shouldn’t have any of this bullshit clouding her mind. “You’re right. See you in a little while. Love you, nerd.”

“Of course, I’m right,” Spencer laughed. “And I love you too, dork.”

\---

Everyone else was nervous. Ally was to a degree, but this had always been a hobby that she happened to love and excel at, not something to do where she strove for greatness at all costs. She didn’t have anything against anyone that did, but this was her escape after their dad left and their mother started struggling.

Leskov, her coach, as well as Emily’s, strode up to her, with Emily right behind him. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he chuckled, clapping Ally on the shoulder. “See if you can get this one to unclench a bit.”

Emily laughed nervously and told him to shut up, sitting down at Ally’s side. “You look uncharacteristically nervous,” she mentioned.

“I am, but not for the reason you think.”

“What’s wrong?” She asked, her nerves fading into the background for a moment to focus on her friend.

Ally looked around, hesitant to say anything too loudly for fear of getting accused herself. Once she realized no one was nearby, she whispered, “I saw a deal go down in Olympic Village.”

“What?” Emily hissed.

“Ian Doyle selling to Yates I think his name is. He’s a skier.” There wasn’t a question in her mind that Emily would never touch the stuff. “I told my brother’s friend Jennifer Jareau.”

“Oh yea, the skater,” Emily said. “She’s awesome.”

“That she is,” Ally said with a smile. “But her coach is Alex Blake who has a strained relationship, but a relationship with one of the members of the IOC. I had to tell someone.”

“Makes sense. I mean having people out there doing that makes us all look bad. Hopefully, they’ll catch everyone doing this.” 

She rubbed her hands together and stood up, jumping up and down to get rid of the chill. “You ready to throw down?” Emily asked.

“Aren’t I always?”

“You are. You have a knack for compartmentalizing the pressure.” Emily was getting nervous again. 

Ally put her hands on either of Emily’s shoulders. “Look at me. You are one of the best female snowboarders. Ever. You are pretty consistently, nailing a move that no other woman has. Take a deep breath and remember that you love this and you’ll be fine.”

She was right. Her entire life had been working up until this point. She could do this. “Right, you’re right. Of course you’re right. Thanks Ally.”

“Anytime.”

\---

After meeting up for a short pep talk with her brother, JJ and Emily’s new friend Tara Lewis, who she’d met during the opening ceremony, she and Emily returned to the top of the halfpipe. 

“Alright, Prentiss,” Leskov said as she took her place in line to head down next. “Do your second best run and do it well. You see where you land in the standings and then if need be, you pull out the 1260.”

“Got it.”

“Good luck, Em.”

She gave Ally a nod and made her way down, nailing trick after trick with an ease that came as no surprise to either woman or their coach. When she got down, it seemed like forever to put up her score, but when it popped up, it shot her firmly into the lead with a 95.20.

When she got her score, Ally could see her jumping up and down. Her first run was next. After a few deep breaths, she started down the pipe replaying the run and tricks in her mind over and over again. Michalchuk with a method grab, frontside 9, 1080, frontside 9, backside rodeo 720, done. That was the first run. 

The first trick went off without a hitch. She had plenty of speed going in and executed the Michalchuk, a backflip with a 540 degree turn - without a problem. As she slid across the pipe, she got herself in line for the frontside 9, completing it but fucking up her line to the 1080. It’s good. I can still do it. She threw herself into the 1080, but as soon as she was in the air, she knew she wasn’t going to land it, coming down on the lip and sliding down into the pipe. “Dammit!” She exclaimed. She was pissed at herself and could barely look Spencer in the eye. 

“They’re gonna scrub that score. Fuck,” she said to Spencer.

“You’ve got this Ally. This isn’t a competition for you. It never has been. Go up there and listen to some music before your second run,” he said. She was letting nerves get to her.

But Ally couldn’t say anything as she left, wondering how the hell she fucked up her line. 

\---

“You can do this,” Emily said emphatically. “You nail the routine in your sleep. I think what were talking about earlier is invading your brain. Just shut it out and focus on how you feel when you’re in the air.”

Ally took a deep breathe. She knew Emily meant well, but it wasn’t helping. “Easy for you to say you just nailed the first ever 1260 put down by a woman in halfpipe.”

It was common knowledge that Emily had the best technical run, but had a fantastic run also. “You have the second most difficult run out of the top 12 of us. If you nail it, you’re on the medal stand. Go have fun. It’s what you always do.”

Emily was right. She was definitely right. “Okay, I’ve got this. I’ve got this. I’ve totally got this.”

“Yea you do!”

As she readied herself to start, Emily and Leskov held their breaths. Emily was guaranteed first place at this point, but the Americans could go one-two if she nailed this run.

Down with the rest of the spectators, Spencer squeezed the life out of JJ’s and Remy’s hands. “Babe, chill,” Remy laughed. “You’re going to crush the bones in my hand. Ally’s gonna be great.”

Spencer wanted this so badly for her. She rarely fell, even during training, so he knew that following in one of her final runs was really screwing her up. “I know. I’m just so nervous.”

“I think you might be more nervous about Ally than yourself,” JJ said, giving his hand a squeeze. 

“That’s accurate.”

She was on her way down. He knew her routine, but only because he’d asked exactly what each trick was called and how he could tell the difference. Like before, the Michalchuk went great. “Yes!”

“Ow my ears,” JJ huffed, her smile evident despite the now possible hearing loss.

Next was the frontside 900. From what he could see, she stayed on her line. “Now’s the 1080, that’s where she fell last time. Oh god, I can’t look.”

“Look, dammit,” Remy yelled. “It’s your sister.”

“I’m gonna vomit. I’m so gonna vomit.” As she threw herself into the turn, he could feel the bile rise in his throat, but she came down clean, at least he assumed so because the crowd bellowed.

\---

She was halfway down the pipe. The tricks she had coming were easily nailed all the time. She had this. She and Emily were going to go one-two. When she was in the air it was like nothing else. She was defying death, spinning into the sky without a care in the world. Besides chilling with her brother, it was her happiest place. Well that and being with her girlfriend, Radha, but unfortunately she had to tend to her patients and couldn’t make it to South Korea. They’d been talking nearly every day though. 

The board slid into the pipe with a crispness Ally couldn’t remember feeling in a long time. It was like the world was on her side and wanted her to nail this. With the final trick, her backside rodeo 720, nearly complete, she had to keep herself from celebrating, but when she heard the roar of the crowd, she screamed and slid to the bottom. Immediately, she unfastened her boots from the board and ran toward Spencer. “I did it!”

Jumping into his arms, she nearly knocked him over, but he managed to keep them both upright. “I told you you could it,” he laughed. “Although I won’t lie when you were going into the 1080, I almost didn’t look and nearly puked.”

Ally was so happy and relieved that when she started laughing, tears sprung to her eyes.

“Remy made me look.”

She wiped the tears away with her gloves and waited with Spencer for her score. Emily’s best run was a 99.25. It wasn’t beatable with her run, but she could take silver. 

“And the score for Allyson Reid…” the announcer said, taking an unbearably long time to speak during which time Ally was pretty sure she was going to have a heart attack. “Is 95.40!”

Emily met her down at the bottom. There was only one more rider to go, so Ally was guaranteed a bronze. She couldn’t bear to look so as they waited she introduced Emily and JJ and reintroduced her to her brother since they’d only met on occasion. Suddenly, their attention was drawn to the pipe. The last rider had wiped out hard.

Silence fell over the crowd until she stood up and completed her run despite the fact that she no longer had a chance. The swath of silence was replaced by Spencer bellowing. “Silver! My sister got the silver!”

\---

“I’ve got to stop my purchases for a bit until this all dies down,” Barnes whispered to Curtis. 

He was not happy. “So you’re telling me I’m not getting paid for the next round you insisted I have ready for you by today?!”

“I’m not going to pay for something I haven’t used and I can’t risk using it again with all eyes on my athletes.” She insisted, even though there was a growing lump in her throat. 

“Lewis isn’t going to happy.”

That put fear into her heart. Peter Lewis had a reputation. He had a habit of getting what he wanted.


	6. JJ

“Is she still salty?” JJ asked as Alex skated gracefully onto the ice. “Did she put her petty bullshit behind her?”

Alex nodded thoughtfully. “I told her what happened in the past needed to die there because we had bigger problems. I told her what Ally told you about the Olympic village and they’re going to look into it.”

“What exactly did you tell her?”

Alex cycled through the music on her iPod and got the JJ’s short program of choice. It was her last day of practice before the ladies’ skating started. “I told her who you saw and the fact that we have no idea how widespread this is, but it’s something that she needs to look into for her own integrity as a member of the IOC.”

JJ snickered at Alex’s choice of words. “Nice leverage. Now you know she’ll look into it regardless of whether she believes us or not.”

“Exactly.”

\---

She had her own little entourage waiting to cheer her on. Though her parents and sister were up in the stands because they couldn’t bare to be up close and personal with the action for fear of seeing her fall, JJ still had Spencer, his girlfriend, Remy, Allyson, and Will nearby for support. And of course Alex, but that was a given. 

Allyson still had the big air competition to go, Spencer had his figure skating in a few days, and Will had two more races to go with the men’s 10k sprint in biathlon already under his belt. He came away with the silver, which he was happy with. He and Foyet had had a seriously close race and Foyet just happened to throw his boot toward the finish line slightly more quickly than he did.

“Good luck, love,” he said as JJ prepared for her short program. “You feeling okay?”

Nodding, she started doing a couple of warm up stretches. “I’m good.”

“Don’t break a leg,” Ally said with a wink.

Spencer smacked her in the arm. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What? I said don’t!”

JJ snickered as she skated out onto the ice and into starting position. The twins’ banter was enough to keep her at ease. It was so normal. 

The siren at the start of Salute by Little Mix got her hyped up. Instantly, the aura in the Gangneung ice arena changed. She had their attention. Given that they were allowed to use music with words in it more consistently now, her mind immediately jumped to this song. It was powerful, fun and lent itself to an amazing short program that would grab people’s attention. 

Normally, she wasn’t really outgoing and in your face, but when she was performing that all changed. Sliding back against the crispness of the newly cleaned ice, she put on her best megawatt smile and began playing to the crowd. 

Ladies all across the world  
Listen up, we’re looking for recruits  
If you with me, lemme see your hands  
Stand up and salute  
Get your killer heels, sneakers, pumps or lace up your boots  
Representing all the women, salute, salute

The clapping of the audience lit her soul on fire. It was so much fun to be doing what she loved and entertaining at the same time. Her choreography flowed like it hadn’t happened before, completely free - not put on in the slightest. For the first time in a long time, she completed a split in competition. No one had done it in years. 

As the chorus revved up, she started gliding herself into the triple axel. If she landed it, she would be only the third woman in history to land it in Olympic competition. Because it was a forward jump, there was an extra half rotation she needed to complete. She launched into the air, her arms firm yet relaxed against her chest until she landed, her skate come down with a precision she’d rarely landed. 

The rest of the routine was easier. Not easy, but the axel had been her achilles heel - it was pretty much every skater’s achilles heel. 

Sisters we are everywhere  
Warriors, your country needs you  
If you ready ladies, better keep steady  
Ready, aim, shoot it  
Don’t need ammunition. On a mission  
And we’ll hit you with the truth  
Representing all the women, salute, salute!

JJ oozed attitude as the song wore on. Each jump passing with relative ease even with the addition of placing her hands over her head, which fucked up the center of gravity, leaving it much further up than it would normally be. 

Once she made her way back into the center of the ice and completed her program, hand held in salute to all the ladies in the audience, she pumped her fists in the air and screamed. That is how you set the tone.

On the sidelines, she could see Will clapping like a maniac, proud as can be of the woman he loved. Spencer was screaming, knowing exactly what those kinds of nerves were like, and Remy and Ally were absolutely 100 percent losing their fucking minds. “Oh my god, Jayge that was amazing!” Ally screamed. 

Everyone assaulted her with hugs until she could get to Alex, who whispered the words she needed to here. “I knew you could do it.”

And her score reflected as much. She was second, only behind by two-hundredths of a point going into the free skate.

\---

There was zero animosity between JJ and the first place skater. After their warm-ups, they exchanged a hug and wished each other luck, leaving her enough time to meet up with her friends and cheer squad before she went on the ice for the last time.

For the last time.

Wow.

It was really the last time she was going to be doing this competitively. It was exactly what she wanted. She wanted to marry Will. She wanted to start the family they always talked about having, but having it be so real now was another story all together. 

Her eyes glistened with tears as she approached her cheer squad. “What’s wrong?” Spencer asked.

“It’s…it’s my last time…”

He immediately wrapped his arms around her. He understood. His competition wasn’t for a few days so it really didn’t hit him yet, but he knew it was going to. 

“You know I don’t want you to quit unless you want to, right?” Will asked genuinely. 

JJ nodded and leaned her head against Alex’s shoulder. “I know. I do. It just hasn’t felt real until now. You know?”

Her biggest competition was in the middle of her program. It looked good to JJ, but she hadn’t seen the triple flip that she’d flubbed. If JJ skated a clean free skate, she had an amazing chance of winning the gold. Alex grabbed her by the shoulders and made her look right at her. “Okay listen. Yes, this is your last skate, but this is in your blood. It always has been. Go out there. Feel the music. Love what you do. And put down the best routine you’ve ever put down so you can say you left at the top of your game.”

“Yea, not like those tv shows that run way too damn long,” Remy laughed giving JJ a hug. “You’re gonna be great.”

She was up next. The tears needed to be wiped away and staved off until this was over; then she’d allow herself to sob again. “Alright, I’m good to go.”

“Breathe and tune everything else out,” Spencer said as she skated away.

Just like she had the day before, she took her starting position. Years ago, Allyson had introduced her to Phantom of the Opera. It was Ally’s favorite thing, pretty much ever, and it quickly became JJ’s too, so skating to the title track seemed perfect for her. What better song to feel and perform than one she’d been listening to for years?

Goosebumps began to prickle her skin as the organ started up. She lifted her leg high up behind her and leaned back into it. Unlike the short program, she’d back-loaded her performance to get the 10 percent bonus on all her moves. 

Alex had developed a number of different program paths JJ could take, but out on the ice she found herself taking the path she’d been avoiding, which was adding a jumping pass at the beginning of the song - a double toe, double loop combination set the crowd up for what was to come.

JJ had never been much of an ‘opera’ person, but this was something else all together. As quickly as it had begun, the first half of the program was over. Now was the test. Though still strong, her legs were tired - that’s why the bonus was so enticing and yet difficult to actually deliver on. 

Whether it was the ice or the music she didn’t know, but she felt light as air. She wanted to throw the triple axel in again, but it was so risky. However, she felt on top of the world. As she passed by Alex, she could see the look of trepidation on her face. Alex knew what she was setting up for.

Within the course of 10 seconds, she was up in the air, completed three and a half rotations and landed cleanly onto the ice with only the slightest bauble. JJ was pretty sure she heard her cheering squad above everyone else in the arena.

Her head and torso were perpendicular to the ice and her leg was lifted up, a straight line from one leg to the other as she set up her final jumping pass. 

The first jump, a triple loop, fell perfectly into place, so the triple toe came naturally, then for good measure, she added a double loop and a double toe, completing all four jumps in perfect rotation before heading into her final spin. 

All eyes were on her. This was it. This last spin was all she had to leave it all out on the ice. As the music faded out, she fell down to the ice and started to sob, waving to the crowd while teddy bears of all shapes and sizes fell into the rink around her. 

She took her final bows and headed off the ice, heading toward the kiss and cry with Alex and Will. Spencer, Ally and Remy were waiting on the sidelines and her parents and sister were on their way down from their place in the audience. 

The score she needed to beat was 237.56 in the free skate.

Alex rubbed JJ’s back as she continued to cry. It was all over and she couldn’t figure out how she felt about it all just yet. She’d left her heart out on the ice and could only hope that it paid off. She was sure she’d medal, but she wanted the gold so badly. “The scores for Jennifer Jareau…239.90, putting her in, first place.”

“Oh my god, I did it,” she whispered, collapsing into her knees as she score showed itself on the board, making it all too real. “Oh my god!”

Will lifted her up and spun her around, planting a kiss on her lips as he let her down to the ground again. At that point, she was flung into Alex’s arms and then Rosaline came running toward her, eyes running with mascara. Her voice was louder than everyone else in the vicinity. “I’m so proud of you! You left it all out there!”

JJ whispered into her sister’s ear, happier than she’d been in the months leading up to the Olympics, the pressure finally gone. “I really did.”


	7. Kate

Strauss and Blake may have had a very strained relationship, but that didn’t mean she and her athlete weren’t telling the truth.

They were.

Ian Doyle had been brazenly selling from his room in the Olympic Village and had promptly been kicked out - barred from competing in any future olympic event. And being the coward that he was, he’d given up quite a few names of other sellers and buyers, including George Foyet, who was quickly stripped of the gold he’d won in the biathlon. 

Numerous IOC members and the South Korean police force had interrogated Doyle. While some names had been easily given, like Foyet and Barnes, others were harder to come by, including that of their top-most supplier. “You’ll never get that name out of me,” he replied, his Irish brogue almost enough to convince those questioning him that he wasn’t a scumbag. 

“Why?” Strauss asked.

Doyle smiled, his ice blue eyes piercing Strauss’ tough exterior. “I would rather go to jail than cross that man.”

“A big tough man like you is afraid of getting beaten by another drug dealer?” She asked, thinking that she would get under his skin. 

Shaking his head, he looked her dead in the eyes. “Anyone who crosses the boss ends up dead, but not before they’ve lost their minds and had everything they’ve ever loved taken from them. I’d rather die than cross him.”

After another few hours of questioning, they stopped trying. He wasn’t going to give anything else up. Given how many people had been accused of selling and buying across a number of countries, the only way to weed out the good from the bad and allow those that earned their medals to leave Pyeongchang with integrity was for everyone to be tested. 

Before the Olympics was over, every athlete would be tested for a range of different performance-enhacing drugs.

“Why the hell should I have to be tested?” Kate fumed. She’d already had her blood tested and she knew it was going to come back clean, but it was still frustrating. “It’s bullshit.”

It was the day of the finals for slalom. Her other event, giant slalom, was tomorrow. 

While her parents knew their daughter would never take anything, they thought it better than everyone was tested. “Did you take anything?” Her father asked.

“Of course not!”

Her mother grabbed her face to try and calm down the fuming. There was practically smoke coming out of her ears. “Then the test comes back negative and when you medal it won’t be questioned at all.”

Kate took a deep breath and smiled. “You’re right. You’re always right. It’s kind of annoying.”

“My job,” she chuckled.

The only athlete she’d heard of being stripped of a medal was Foyet, leaving William LaMontagne, the former silver medalist, with the gold medal. 

The Alpensia Sports Park was buzzing today. At the peak of the games, there were a variety of events taking place today. “How are you feeling?” Maureen asked.

Her coach had insisted she take the day off before having back-to-back events, which meant that Kate was more than raring to go. This morning she’d taken a two training runs down the slope to perfect her line and her skis. “I’m good. I’m hyped. I’m energized. I just want to get going.”

Maureen turned around to see someone signaling for her and Kate. She needed to line up in the gate because she only had a few more athletes to go before she took her first of two final runs. “Okay, time to go kick some ass kiddo!”

“Yes! Fuck yes!” Kate screamed when she looked at the board. 

As soon as she turned around, she saw that she was being filmed. “Sorry,” she whispered. She just cursed on national television. Oops.

First run was 48.97 seconds. Fucking brilliant first run. It was like she’d been floating on the snow rather than skiing down it. 

After giving her parents a quick kiss, she headed back up for her second run. “You’re tests came back…negative of course,” Maureen laughed. 

Kate flexed her muscles, which could barely be seen through all the clothing she was wearing. “Exactly, so that stellar run was all me baby!”

Unfortunately, she was beaten by two hundredths of a second by one of the Swedish athletes, but she was by no means out of contention for the gold. They were neck and neck.

In her training, she’d been so focused on gold that she’d lost sight of the fact that she’d even made it to the Olympics after qualifying fourth last time and just out of arms reach of glory. “Okay, Kate,” Maureen said, preparing her star skier for her final slalom run. “You made it here. You are within medal contention. Go out there and do the thing you love. Forget the gold and have fun.”

“Alright,” she replied.

Just as Maureen had said, Kate cleared her mind and positioned herself at the gate, ready to have fun. Her coach was right; she made it here and that was all she’d ever worked for - to be included among the best of the world.

She heard Maureen’s screams to get her hyped up at the gate and then she was off. The leader and one other were the last ones to run, so she needed to do her absolute best, which always happened when she was just reveling in her sport. 

She knew she made a mistake at the top of the hill, but it wasn’t the worst and she recovered quickly. Only the clacking of the gates against her skis and poles could be heard as she descended the hill. That and the crunch of the snow under skis as she turned. 

The bottom of the hill was in sight. She could see the person in first place standing there hoping that Kate wouldn’t pass her. As soon as she crossed the line, she spun around to see her time - 50.12 - not bad, but could’ve been better. However, she was still in first.

She happily took her place next to the woman from Norway who was now in second place. As the fourth place finisher started making her way down, Kate and her new Norwegian friend started talking about their runs and how much fun they’d been having, only to have their attention drawn to the hill when the athlete wiped out and into the barrier up top. “Oh god, I hope she’s okay.”

Kate replied as she grimaced. “It looks like she’s getting up on her own. I think she’s okay.”

Last but not least was the current leader from Sweden. Kate was guaranteed the silver, which she already knew, but couldn’t possibly forget when her parents were screaming it in the crowd behind her. 

Snickering, she turned around to tell her parents to chill (to which they of course said no) and missed the Swede crossing the finish line in record time. 

Kate won the silver. 

It was always more her color.

After hugging and congratulating her competitors, she met up with her parents and Maureen, who’d already made her way down the hill. “Congrats, kiddo,” she said, enveloping her in a hug. “I knew you could do it.”

“Thanks, Maureen.” Kate was never a crier, but she found herself tearing up at the overwhelming emotions of the moment - one she’d worked for for so long. “I can’t believe I did it.”

“Yes, you can,” her father laughed. “You said so the other day that you had this.”

“But now it’s real,” she cried. Her tears were threatening to freeze on her face it was so cold, but she didn’t care.

Who knew how tiring winning could be?

The medal ceremony took place later that night, and although she wasn’t on the top podium, she wore her silver with pride before returning to her room in Olympic village and crapping out for the night.

Now she was here at the start of her first run in giant slalom and as the gate fell open and her skis glided across the stark white snow, she couldn’t think of any other place she’d rather be.


	8. Derek/Aftermath

“Can you give us any news? Who’s been killed? Was in murder or suicide?”

The questions kept coming, the lights flashing before Strauss’s eyes as she approached the podium. Taking a deep breath, she began to address the swarm of media professionals waiting on their next big scoop. “As of right now, we can say that there has been a murder at the Hilton in Pyeongchang and the victim is Linda Barnes, speed skating coach to Matt Simmons and Jack Garrett. She was stabbed 6 times - the last of which was the only fatal wound. After being accused of doping one of her athletes, she stayed out of sight. We do not know at this time who killed her or why. As we obtain new information, I will be sure to inform you all. Thank you.”

With that, she removed herself from the stage. Thank god Alex’s athlete had informed her of the doping issues on site beforehand. Otherwise, she would’ve been going into this blind. Along with the police, her belief was that Barnes had betrayed one of the top suppliers, but as of right now, that couldn’t be confirmed.

This was such a shit show. 

Drugs were going to taint this Olympics for years to come. She could only hope that her handling of the situation would lessen some of the stain.

\---

“Why do you do this to yourself?” Rossi asked. His athlete was constantly putting pressure on himself - to the extreme. It was almost as if Rossi didn’t need to be there because he didn’t have to apply any pressure to Derek - he did it all himself. “You are competing in five events and have already won two golds, a silver, and a bronze with your strongest event to come!”

Gold in giant slalom. Gold in slalom. Silver in Downhill. Bronze in Super Combined. Super G was his best and last race. “I don’t know Rossi. I can’t help it. I don’t think it would be so bad if someone I expected to beat me actually beat me, but Yates? Really? He’s never been at the top of his game.”

“Some people just have great days. He’s having some of his, but that doesn’t mean you’re not doing equally as amazing. And you’ve already been cleared through drug testing so everyone knows that those four medals were won because of your skill. It’s all you.” 

Since Derek’s father’s death, Rossi had wanted nothing more than to keep his friend’s memory alive. He wanted Derek, Sarah and Desiree to know that he spent every day of his life proud of his children and their accomplishments. “The Morgan family is one of the most decorated Olympic families in history.” 

This is how it had always been. Derek always put the pressure on himself, as if his father would’ve never been proud of him if he didn’t pull out gold medals left and right. It wasn’t true. And deep down he knew it. But there was always something in the back of his brain that drove him harder than was necessary. “You’re right.”

“Damn right, I’m right. I’m always right. You just never listen to me,” Rossi laughed.

Derek smirked and clapped his coach on the shoulder. Even through his movements and speech patterns one could tell that David Rossi had been best friends with his father. “You sound like dad.”

“Which means I’m amazing and you should listen to me. Are you ready to breathe and nail the Super G?”

Through the years of training leading up to these games and even the four races he’d already completed, he never really got the chance to enjoy the sport he loved because of the pressure he was under. This was his last event this Olympics. He might not be coming back. It was possibly his last chance to enjoy floating on snow. “Yea, I’m good.”

Super G - super giant slalom. Speed event. This was his jam. The high speeds made his heart race. It’s what he always loved.

Down the hill, his mother, Desiree and Sarah were waiting. The only person that had ever expected perfection was himself. He’d already succeeded in his family’s eyes. In his coach’s eyes. And hopefully in his father’s eyes. Succeeding in the Super G meant having fun - that was what Derek decided as he pulled up to the gate.

The Super G course was notoriously the hardest in Olympic history, even outpacing the last Olympics in Sochi.

As the beeping of the start line ended, he could hear Rossi screaming. “Do it for you!”

Not do it for him. Not do it for his father. Do it for you.

With gates even father apart than the giant slalom, staying on his line was even important than other events. Carving around the first gate felt amazing. Somehow that last talk with Rossi had taken the pressure off. He needed to maintain some composure, because whiffing on this course could get him seriously injured, but the desperate need to medal was gone. He was loving the beat of the cold wind against his face, the din of the crowd down below and the crunch of the snow under his skis.

Super G was based on pure instinct. There were no training runs and only one run to prove one’s skill unlike the other alpine skiing events. His knees slid swiftly into position, carving around each turn and through each gate like it was what he was meant to be doing in the moment. Everything gelled. It all came together. 

On a couple of occasions, he went slightly outside of the designated course, but he made it back between the lines before any deductions would be imposed. The bottom of the course was the worst. It required the most control and the most instinctual movements. Each bump under his skis had to be accounted for by the second because the previous runner’s line could impact his own, but as each turn brought him closer and closer to the end, he realized he had this.

Leaning into the finish line, he smiled. That had been amazing. Finally, he’d had some fun. Rossi said the run was him, and he felt that way. However, he looked to the clear blue sky and muttered. “For you dad.”

“You’re in first!” Sarah screamed. He hadn’t even looked at his time. That’s how he knew this run was different. 

There were only two more skiers to go. 

“Awesome.” 

He grabbed his mother and brought her in for a hug. “He’d be so proud. I’m so proud.”

“Thanks, mom.”

His sisters attacked him with hugs too. Normally, he’d make his way up to talk with Rossi about his lines and his turns after each run, but he decided against it. This time he was going to revel in his run with his family. If he won, he won. If he didn’t, so be it. His last event felt amazing, and that was really all the mattered.

\---

Finally, Strauss had a second to breathe. She’d done all she could do in regards to the death of Linda Barnes. Now it was just about clearing the names of the innocent athletes caught up in this mess, and for her it was time to bury the hatchet. There was no need for this anymore. “Hello Alex?”

“Erin?”

“Yes, umm, I was wondering if you and I might be able to meet up and talk. I owe you an apology.”

Alex smiled softly to herself. She’d never really expected it, but Strauss was trying to be the better person, so she relented. “Sure, when?”


	9. Tara

He was so fucked.

Royally fucked.

Either he gave Lewis over and died, or he talked on one condition. 

“Yates, you’re not getting out of here without consequences, so you better get to talking,” the officer said emphatically. He was getting really tired of dealing with this asshole. 

But Yates wasn’t going to budge. He wasn’t about to go down in flames for Lewis, but he also knew better than to cross him without some kind of backup plan. “I told you before. I will tell you who my boss is on the condition that I’m given over to witness protection. I want a whole new life, new papers, new everything. When I have that in writing, I’ll give you what you want. One name.”

The officer rolled his eyes and stomped out of the room. This wasn’t getting them anywhere. No one was getting through to Yates and he was small potatoes in the scheme of things. As much as he hated it, the police force needed to give him what they wanted in the hopes of getting one of the biggest drug dealers in the world off the streets. 

The longer it took for the officer to return the more Yates knew he was going to get what he wanted. Hopefully, Lewis wouldn’t be able to track him through witness protection. Either way, this was his only option. He was going down alone or with someone. 

When the officer returned nearly an hour later, he held a paper in his hand. “Read it over.”

Yates smiled to himself. A new life. “I agree. His name is Peter Lewis and last I knew he was living in Canada.”

“Come or don’t dad. I don’t care,” Tara said, resignation stinging her voice. 

After so many years, she assumed she’d be over the sting her father’s lack of interest in her brought, but it still burned like the slow steam of coals or the slice of a blade above skin. “I plan on making this my year. With or without your approval or care or whatever the fuck it is that I actually want from you. I don’t care anymore.”

“I didn’t even say anything!” Her father replied exasperatedly. 

Tara snapped her head back around. “Exactly! Sometimes it’s about what you don’t say and don’t do. It’s always been all about him and somehow because he didn’t want to put in the work to succeed, me doing the opposite makes you angry. Again, you wanna come to watch me race fine. If not, your loss. I’m going.”

It had been so many years since they last saw each other. Alex was a little girl when Strauss and her mother had competed.

An awkward but welcomed hug was exchanged between the two before they sat down at a table in one of the local parks. Given all of the hubbub surrounding the Olympics, there were very few people around, which was great for Strauss. She wanted to be able to speak to Alex Blake one on one and truly apologize for the way she’d been acting for the last two decades. “Ummm, I don’t really know where to start with this,” Strauss began, “so I guess I’ll just start with I’m sorry.”

When she met Alex’s eyes, they were open but expectant. She nodded and left Strauss stumbling over her words for another few seconds. “I’ve been awful. You don’t deserve any of it and I’m sorry. What your mother and I had was one thing and even that I had no right to be angry. She beat me fair and square. Then bringing you into my anger was unwarranted. I want to put it behind us and start over…if you’ll let me.”

After the fight with her father, Tara was on edge, using her time getting to the Olympic Sliding Center to cool down. Her coach was there and waiting, but someone else was too. Up until this very moment, she had forgotten about their arrangement. 

“Emily?”

Emily Prentiss flashed her diamond-white smile in Tara’s direction. “You look surprised to see me.”

“I am,” Tara replied honestly. “I’ve been having a trying couple of days in regards to my father so I totally forgot that you said you’d come.”

The other woman smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry. I won gold and I didn’t even get a call from my mother so I understand. Now, whatever happened between you and your dad, screw it. Go out there and kick ass.”

Tara gave her the rock-on sign and took a deep breath. “I’m going to.” She leaned in and wrapped her arms around the other woman. “Thanks so much for coming. It means a lot.”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Watching as nearly 25 other athletes took their first slide down the track was absolute torture. On the one hand it was good because it meant she’d qualified in the top five, but it allowed the nerves to build up. The counteract the anxious energy, she noted each athlete’s run, what they did wrong, where on the track they’d screwed up and applied it to her own theories. She already had her run down. She knew what to do and when, but luge definitely relied on adjusting one’s plans at a moment’s notice.

“Lewis, you’re up!”

Best of four runs.

It was the other nine of the top 10 that she truly had to compete with. The other 20 athletes were there and deserved to be, but even they knew they had little chance of winning. Luge was an intense sport. 

She sat on her board at the start and assessed the track. Her sled was nearly 50 pounds and she was 165, which meant that she needed to exert enough pressure to move 215 pounds. “Go, go, go!” She heard her coach’s voice in her ears as the start sounded. 

Every muscle in her body burned hot enough to melt the ice below as she pushed off from the start and lay back into her slide. The pressure of sliding down the ice track at increasing speeds up to 90 miles an hour left her body under intense g-forces. 

With each turn, she positioned her body to gain maximum speed through the turns. Her feet hurt. Her arms hurt. Her stomach hurt. Everything muscle was tightened almost past capacity - almost. She had to keep herself somewhat limber or she’d spin out, but as quickly as it started, she crossed the finish line in 47.278 seconds, putting her in first.

That wouldn’t last long, and there were definitely places she could improve over the course of her next three runs. 

Looking towards the crowd, she noticed her father hadn’t shown up. For a split second, it disappointed her, but then she saw Emily - this woman she hadn’t known before last week who showed up despite that. It just proved that quality always won out over blood.

After day one, she was in fourth place. Her first run had been pretty spectacular, leading to only three other athletes being able to pass her in the second run.

Before they even got to the Olympics, Tara and her coach had discussed that there would be no training between days one and two of finals competition, so that night she relaxed at a nearby restaurant with Emily. For some reason, she felt the need to thank Emily for coming and cheering her on. “I’ll be there tomorrow too.”

“Really?”

“Yea, why wouldn’t I be?” Tara wasn’t really sure. Sadly, she guessed she just wasn’t used to being a priority for anyone. “Okay for one, I know personally what it’s like to not have the recognition of a parent, especially when you desperately want it and act like you don’t.”

Tara was shocked that this woman she barely knew seemed to be able to read right through her. “How-?”

“I know that look,” Emily laughed. “And two, I might think you’re kinda cute.”

Tara blushed, looking down at the table before flagging down the waiter for some more water. “I might think you’re kinda cute too. Maybe after competition we can actually get to know each other?”

Reaching across the table, Emily laid her hand over Tara’s. “I think I’d love that.”

Just as Emily had promised, she was sitting their in the stands when Tara arrived for her final two runs. Of course, her father wasn’t there. Probably on the phone with her brother. For a second, she allowed it to bother her, but then she shook it off and focused on what she did have - an amazing coach, and an almost complete stranger that wanted to get to know her better. She was luckier than many.

Her third run came in just three hundredths of a second behind first, leaving her in perfect position for her last run. “How are you feeling?” Emily asked.

“Pretty good. I really think I can medal this year.” She hated the fact that the first thought that came to her mind was that medaling would show her father what she was actually worth. She wanted it to be for her first, but it wasn’t. That was something she was going to have to let go of going toward the next Olympics.

After Emily gave her a peck on the cheek for good luck, Tara headed back to regroup for the final run along with her coach. “You’ve got this, okay?” 

Tara readied herself at the start line for the last time for these games. She was prepared to push her muscles to the utmost of limits. In the distance, she thought she heard her father, but she wasn’t about to pay him any attention - not right now; it was too little, too late. 

This time, as she slid down the beginning of the course, she didn’t feel panicked; she felt light, almost like the pressure was off now, even though it had all built to this moment. 

Turn nine came far too quickly. If people were having trouble, it was at turns nine and fifteen. Going into the turn, she propped her head up slightly in order to steer, risking the lack of aerodynamics off her raised helmet in order to gain clear insight into where she was going. Then she took the risks of laying her head back during the straightaways - she’d ridden this track so many times she knew how long to keep her head down and when to pick it back up. 

She was making good time. She could feel it. Even with one rider to go, silver at the very least was in reach, and possibly even gold. 

Having traveled down to the edge of the track, Emily was there to scream wildly when Tara crossed the finish line, immediately popping up and braking her sled. When she looked up at the times, she almost cried. Right now, she was in first. Last up was a woman from Norway by the name of Siv Olsen and she was at the top of her game. Tara’s time of 46.602 was what she had to beat.

“That was amazing!” Emily screamed. “Doesn’t that scare the living crap out of you.”

“Yea, totally,” Tara chuckled. “That’s half the thrill.” The smile was immediately wiped off her face when she saw her father. So he’d decided to show up. That was nice. “Hello.”

Emily looked away not wanting to intrude on the family moment, no matter how tense it might have been.

“You did well,” her father said quietly.

For the first time, his adoration wasn’t necessary. “I know. Years of hard work have finally paid off. Gold or silver.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you, and I haven’t been. I’m going to work harder.”

Tara nodded appreciatively. “Thanks. I’ll allow you too. Just don’t think that your opinion is the be all and end all for me anymore. It’s too late for that.”

He looked somewhat hurt, but also like he expected it. 

Suddenly, a boisterous roar echoed around them. “Oh my god!” Emily cried.

Tara spun around to look at the times. “What?”

Her time - 46.602.

Siv Olsen’s time - 46.602.

Tied for gold!

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” 

Tara screamed, jumping up and down and into Emily’s arms for a quick hug before going over to congratulate the other first place winner. “Congratulations!”

“You too!” Siv replied. “Amazing work.” At her coach’s behest, Siv turned around promising to see Tara later at the awards ceremony. 

As a child, Tara had expected certain things. Her mother being there when she won. Her brother and father being happy for her. Having the adoration of other athletes and a steadfast belief in herself. Some of it had come true, and other parts hadn’t, but as she stared into the stands, American flags waving alongside Norwegian ones, friends and fans standing side by side, she knew this was how it was meant to be.


	10. Emily

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Featuring OC Allyson Reid, and more doping scandal drama.

Alex smiled softly lifting her hand up to shield against the sun. That was really all she’d ever wanted. She’d never had anything against Strauss, except her latent rage toward her mother when she lost all those years ago. “I’d like that,” she replied.

A buzzing sound whizzed by her ear and then another just a few seconds later.

“Get down!” Strauss screamed.

Pop.

Pop.

Pop.

“Where the hell are they coming from?” Alex cried, watching as bullets flew by at the speed of light. 

Both women looked around frantically, trying to ascertain where they were coming from. The bullets kept missing and then out of nowhere a man barreled toward them, his aim no less horrible up close. This was obviously a man not used to firing a gun. 

He strode between Alex and Strauss separating them and leaving Alex open to the assault. “What the hell do you want with me?” She asked.

“Not you,” he replied. “Wrong place, wrong time.”

He was after Strauss.

“This is my only choice.”

What the hell was he talking about?

“Please, you don’t need to do this.”

Like a movie, a chair rose up behind him, knocking him out and smacking him to the ground. “You okay?” Strauss asked.

Her rattled breaths said otherwise, but she was physically fine - just confused. “Y-yes, you?”

Strauss grabbed the gun out of the man’s hands and insisted Alex call the authorities. “I’m okay. What did he say to you?”

“He said it wasn’t me he was after. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Strauss’s expression dropped. “He was after me?”

\---

The Korean authorities were on point, arriving just five minutes after Alex made the call. “Congratulations,” the lead detective Dae-Jung Lee said, his accent thick but English perfect. “You’ve apprehended one of our most wanted drug dealers.”

“What?” Strauss and Alex said simultaneously. 

“His name is John Curtis. He’s been funneling a range of different drugs from recreational to performance enhancing for years. I’m sure we’ll find he’s part of the doping scandal here.”

That would make sense, Strauss thought to herself. “He was after me. He told Alex as much, which would make sense because I’m the face addressing the doping scandal.”

The lead detective could sense Strauss’s fear. It sounded like someone wanted Erin Strauss out of the picture. “We’re going to give you a protective detail until you leave.”

Who wanted her dead?

\---

“This is your element, Ally,” Spencer said, trying to help combat his sister’s nerves. “You are the daredevil. The one who loves being up in the air. The one who insisted she was going to nail the biggest tricks that the boys did when we were six years old. You’ve got this.”

Ally huffed and puffed, Olympic pressure getting to her more than she wanted to admit. “Right, of course. I’m good?”

Spencer chuckled and gave her an enormous hug. “Take a deep breath. Go out there and do what you love. Scare the crap out of me.”

“Now, that’s incentive.”

Big Air was a new event this Olympics. It consisted of traversing down this enormous hill, pulling the biggest trick and landing it. Biggest score wins - a simple but exhilarating event.

She’d already landed a 900 and was in second place, but if she wanted to win she was going to have to nail the 1080 - none of the women had yet.

After watching two more girls take their final runs, Ally took her place at the top of the hill with just one more woman to go after her. She was up impossibly high. It was amazing. The feeling of being up so high had never scared her. It only drove her. Thankfully, the nerves fell away as she looked down the hill and then she was making her way down, speed picking up.

She’d landed the double cork 1080 before. As long as she god enough power going into it, she was golden. 

In the air, Ally felt on top of the world. She completed her two flips and one full spin, placing her board down on the snow in what she would call her “crispiest” landing yet. The crowd went nuts as she pumped her hands into the air and fell to the floor.

“I did it!” She screamed happily when she saw Spencer standing over her.

Extending his hand, he helped her up. “I knew you would, you dork!”

“Shut up, nerd!”

Sure there was one more woman left to run, but Ally was going to medal and considering all she’d ever wanted was to prove she could do exactly what the boys did, she considered herself pretty lucky right now.

\---

Emily already had the gold in halfpipe and a date with a champion luger to show for herself this Olympics. Adding another medal of any color would be a bonus, and considering that her second and final event was ladies’ snowboard cross, any color medal or no medal at all was totally possible. 

Snowboard cross was a speed event. Tricks did you no good here. If you got out in the front of the pack, it was less likely you’d fall and be hit out of the course, but if you found yourself at the back of the pack, then staying upright on your board was a fight in and of itself. When the sport first started, she was intrigued by it, because it was so different than her halfpipe experience, but this was the first Olympics and probably last, that she would be competing in two very different events. 

Thankfully, her qualifiers had afforded her a good starting spot, right in the middle of the six racers and the semifinal runs went well. She earned the second best starting spot. 

The nine-foot drop into the course at the start was the least of her worries. Snowboard cross really was about staying upright and gaining speed where you were able, otherwise it was kind of a shitshow - and that’s what Emily loved about it.

With a kiss from Tara to inspire her, she found herself neck and neck with one other woman. The crunch of the snow behind her told her that at least one other racer was directly behind them.

Right after the first big jump, things became quieter. If she decided to look back she’d probably see that at least two of her fellow racers had fallen, but she wasn’t about to take her eyes off the course. 

Through the turns, Emily pumped her legs, getting as much speed as she possibly could going into the last section of jumps. As her board touched the ground, the woman next to her grunted and she thought she was going to fall, but they were still way too close to call. Into the final jump, they both got decent air, but managed to land cleanly and coast toward the finish line. 

When it approached, they both leaned forward hoping to cross first, but even the crowd could see it was a photo finish.

“How are you feeling?” Tara asked, yelling over the roar of the crowd. 

“Pretty good. I actually did that race for me, you know?”

Tara understood. Trying to gain the attention of a parent when it wasn’t freely given was exhausting and sooner or later, you just had to let it go. “I do. Aren’t you gonna look for your time?” She asked.

“No,” Emily smiled. “You tell me.”

When the times came up, Tara pumped her fists in the air. “Silver! Gold was 2 thousandths of a second ahead.”

“I’ll take it,” Emily replied. “This was all for me.”

\---

“Lock me up!” Curtis screamed. “Right now! If you don’t I’m as good as dead.”

Lead Detective Dae-Jung Lee laughed at the desperate criminal’s pleas. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly where you’re going.”

With Lewis still out there, Curtis feared for his life, whether he was in prison or not. He was going away. There was no denying that. “Don’t let Lewis know you’re coming or you’ll never catch him!”


	11. Spencer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songs are This is Me from The Greatest Showman and Torture by Les Friction.

Ally was always the one who did what she did for fun. While he…well, he was always striving for more. For more attention, for more love, for more anything that would make the world notice him in a way that didn’t get his ass kicked or place that disappointed look in someone’s eye. 

Maybe he always did this for his father - hoping excellence would bring William Reid home. Maybe he did it to make his mother proud - make her feel like losing her husband was worth it if her kids happened to excel in everything they did. Honestly, he really wasn’t sure why he did it anymore, but one thing he knew was that no matter how he was feeling, when he was out on the ice, he felt like himself.

Years and years went by during which time the only people that seemed to understand him were Ally, his mother, and JJ. Over and over again, he had his ass kicked by boys and girls, children and adults, all calling him every name under the sun because skating was “for girls.” 

It wasn’t. It was anyone and everyone, and it was most definitely for him. “Hey, nerd!” Ally interrupted shooting his train of thought veering off the tracks. “You ready to go out there and kick some ass? Join me in medal collection?”

Spencer chuckled and looked at the two medals around his sister’s neck. “Yea, I think I am. Are you sure this song is good enough?”

“It’s a little late now! You’re on in like 3 minutes. It’s a little too late for a change?!”

The look on her face made him snort. “Yea, I know. I’m just nervous. This is everything I’ve ever worked for - everything I’ve ever wanted, and it’s my last chance.”

“You could do this again,” Ally said. “It’s not like your ancient.”

“I know other skaters have competed at 27 and 30 and even 33, but I also have other things I want…” His mind drifted off as he looked toward the entryway where Remy was running toward him. “I kinda want to marry her.”

“Oh my god, no way! Do you have a ring? Is she finally gonna be my sister-in-law?” Ally shrieked.

“Not if you blow this for me,” he gritted through clenched teeth before turning around to pick up Remy. “I’m so nervous, but I need to go.”

“You’ll do amazing,” she whispered, kissing his cheek. 

“I love you, Spence.”

“I love you, too. And I love you, dork.”

“Love you too, nerd. Go out there and nail this like you always do.”

\---

These words meant everything to him. This was his story. If he slipped into this character - this character that was more of him then he wanted to admit - then he would nail this. 

I am not a stranger to the dark  
Hide away, they say

As his skate slid back on the ice, that special something else took over. His muscles moved into the music like they were meant to be doing exactly what they were doing in this very moment. Slowly, a smile crept onto his face as he embraced the words that meant so much to him.

‘Cause we don’t want your broken parts  
I’ve learned to be ashamed of all my scars  
Run away, they say  
No one’ll love you as you are

So many years - so many years of taking beatings. All of the bruises. All of the disdain. All of the fear in his mother’s eyes. All of the rage in his sister’s heart. It all drove him to where he was right now, arms moving gracefully through the air as he built into his first element - a quadruple salchow.

When the sharpest words wanna cut me down  
I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out  
I am brave, I am bruised  
I am who I’m meant to be, this is me

Every ounce of power in him went to pushing himself into the spin, but he landed perfectly on his blade with a roar from the crowd. He could’ve sworn as he moved into the next element that he heard his sister and Remy screaming bloody murder, but he tried not to focus on it - no matter how happy it made him. 

He had three quads planned for this performance, plus a triple - all done within the course of two minutes and 20 seconds. Trying not to focus on the tenseness of his muscles, he spun around and launched into his quad toe, landing it with another thunderous round of applause from the crowd.

Another round of bullets hits my skin  
Well, fire away 'cause today, I won’t let the shame sink in  
We are bursting through the barricades  
And reaching for the sun (we are warriors)  
Yeah, that’s what we’ve become

This was who he was now. He was stronger than he’d ever been. More confident than he’d ever been before and that was all because of his drive to do what he loved. His mother had said for years that eventually, once he was truly okay with who he was and what he loved, that confidence would attract more people to him; he hated to admit she was right.

Gliding past Remy, he shot her a smile and transitioned into his spins. When he was a child, he thought this was the only thing he’d ever truly believed he could love other than his mother, sister and Jennifer, but then Remy came along, and all of that changed. 

He was toward the end of his short program. Only two more jumps to go and he would shoot himself into the lead. With the quadruple loop landed, he launched into the triple loop - his world spinning and yet never more grounded. The applause told him all he needed to know.

And I know that I deserve your love  
There’s nothing I’m not worthy of  
When the sharpest words wanna cut me down  
I’m gonna send a flood, gonna drown them out  
This is brave, this is proof  
This is who I’m meant to be, this is me

As the song concluded and he shoved the tip of his blade into the ice, he pumped his fists in the air. 

“Yess! Spencer!” Remy screamed from the sidelines.

He could probably hear her from a mile away, only to be possibly out rivaled by Ally. “Fuck yes!”

Spencer slid into the entryway and smiled. “Do you kiss your mother or brother with that mouth?” He laughed.

“Yes,” Ally replied. “And you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

\---

Short program was one thing, but the free skate was another beast all together. Twice as long in length, which meant that there were twice as many elements he needed to nail and even more strain on his already tired muscles. 

When he was younger, he got beaten up all the time because skating wasn’t a “tough” sport, but when people gave him that crap now he dared those people to do the spins he did - and the spins were only the tip of the iceberg, pun intended.

“You think you’re going to be able to make it through this one?” Remy asked. 

“Physically or?”

“Emotionally,” she replied, wrapping her hands around his waist. “I know what this song means to you.”

“I’ll be good. I feel good.”

Remy nuzzled her head into Spencer’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re confident. I mean, I am too, but you’re always nervous going into these things.”

“True,” Ally said, slapping them both on the shoulder when she popped out of nowhere. “But this time, he has you when he comes off the ice.”

Remy rolled her eyes. 

“It’s true,” Spencer replied. “Ally does know me better than anyone.”

“Other than you, of course,” Ally replied. 

This Olympics had been a hell of an adventure, and his coach had missed most of it because he’d been sick, but thankfully he was here now. “How are you feeling?” Aaron asked.

“I could ask the same of you. How’re you? How’s Haley and Jack?”

“Everyone’s healthy again, thank god. You nervous?”

Spencer hadn’t been nervous but now all this talk of nervousness was making him a little anxious. “I wasn’t, but it sounds like you are and now you’re making me nervous.”

“I’m sorry,” Aaron snickered. “You shouldn’t be. You have a 15 point cushion against the next closest competitor and your routine is the most packed in Olympic history.”

But he had to nail it all. Okay, now he wanted to vomit. “Alright, Ally and I are gonna give you a few minutes,” Remy said. “Chill babe, you’re gonna kill it.”

“She’s right you know.” Aaron could see in the look in Spencer’s eyes that the woman walking away was the woman he wanted to spend his life with. “You wanna marry her?”

That caught him off guard. “Umm…yea, yes I do.”

“You want a family? The whole nine?”

Spencer nodded, thinking about the house they might buy together and the kids they would have. Ally would be the amazingly cool aunt that the kids would go to when they felt they couldn’t talk to him and Remy. “Yea. She made me want all of it. After my dad, I never imagined wanting that kind of a life, because I saw where it led, you know? But with her it can be different. I can see it.” He swallowed hard against the lump in his throat. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, how do you feel now? Relaxed? Not nervous?” Aaron asked with a knowing smile.

Spencer smiled when he realized Aaron had redirected his nervous energy. “Nice trick.”

“Not a trick. Experience, Spencer. This is what you’ve always wanted right? This routine feels natural to you?”

Nodding, Spencer removed the blade covers and got ready to move out onto the ice. “Then go out there and do what you do. Don’t leave your heart out on the ice though.”

“No?”

“No, because I know where it belongs,” he replied, craning his head toward Remy. “You’ve got this, Spencer. Just relax.”

Spencer took a deep breath and slid out onto the ice for the last time, taking his place in the center and drowning out the mumbles of the crowd, tuning into the song he’d known he’d used at the Olympics for years now.

The note of the piano stirred his heart awake. When he’d first heard the song, he imagined himself breaking away from the people that tortured him so often during his childhood. 

Savor the time and the trouble  
Just leave me trapped in the maze  
I’ll live and die in this bubble  
But I’ll never give in to your torturous ways

When Aaron had mentioned that his routine was packed, he hadn’t been underestimating. He had six quads planned, plus two spin rotations and a split - and four quads were in the back end of the routine for extra points. He could do a backflip too, but ever since Aaron pulled two at his Olympics and Surya Bonaly landed one on one foot at hers, they became illegal in competition. 

The first quad he had planned turned into a triple, but he nailed that and took it as a sign that the best was yet to come. This wasn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. As the second quad came to him, he relaxed once more.

It’s torture  
I cower when you’re near

Although the song had a very defeated tone, the music was the opposite. It felt powerful and strong, and that’s how it made him feel, rising above the bullshit he’d skated through all his life. The you in this song, for him, was all that he went through.

It’s torture  
I cower when you’re near  
It’s torture  
The scars born out of fear  
The horror  
Your soul so black and chilled  
It’s torture  
I can’t stop what can’t be killed  
But he could. Because it could be killed, by being who he needed to be. Being himself was the way to make that all go away, and skating had helped him do that. A long and arduous road it was, but every bit of it was worth it.

With three quads attempted and or nailed, he had three to go and they were all here. 

One. 

And the beat of the drum resounded through his ears.

Two. 

And the strum of the guitar crawled through every fiber of his body.

Three.

And the power of each note pumped through his heart.

Holy shit, he nailed it. His body moved into the last spin sequence with such force and such ingrained memory it even took him off guard for a moment.

Thank god, he’d drilled this routine so many times, because there were too many tears in eyes for him to focus anymore.

Finally, the song came to a close - his breaths coming in ragged and sharp as the teddy bears came pouring onto the ice. 

Before he could stand up again, Aaron, Remy and Ally came skating onto the ice. Aaron wrapped his arms around his protege, knowing that he took the right risk all those years ago, not just because of his abilities on the ice but because of who he was as a person. “I’m so proud of you, Spencer.”

“Thanks, Aaron. For everything.”

Remy was sobbing too much so Ally took the opportunity to step in. “That is the brother I know. I can’t tell you how proud I am,” Ally sniffled.

\---

In the time it took to get off the ice, Remy and Spencer managed to get a moment alone together, and then the group went to kiss and cry to get his scores. Spencer was confident, but it was still all up to the judges. Diana was up in the stands, watching them both - the two apples of her eye. With or without medals, she couldn’t have been prouder of the people they’d become. 

Aaron stood behind him, hands on his shoulders, while Remy and Ally had one hand a piece, waiting with bated breaths for the scores they insisted gave him the gold. Spencer wasn’t going to celebrate fully until the scores were there in front of his.

“After the short program, Spencer Reid was in first place with 111.67. His free skate score is…206.18 for a total score of 317.85, putting him in first place.”

His eyes burned from the tears. “Holy fuck I did it,” he whispered as Remy kissed the back of his neck. 

“Yes, you did.”

Later on tonight he would have a gold medal draped around his neck. It was so much more than that. It was the symbol of the past he’d conquered and the people that helped him through it, and as he looked to his coach, his sister, into the stands for his mother, and to the woman he loved, he saw his future.


	12. Closing Ceremonies

Curtis was reluctant. More than reluctant to give Lewis’s location over, but once he did, Detective Dae-Jung Lee put together a sting operation. Peter Lewis had evaded the authorities one too many times before. There was no way they were going to let him get away this time.

“Peter Lewis, we have you surrounded!”

His eerily calm attitude unnerved the Korean authorities closing in. As he put his hands up in the air, a smile crept onto his face. The cops looked pleased with themselves. “Whether I’m behind bars or not, it doesn’t matter,” he said smoothly. “My reach goes far.” 

“Sure,” Dae-Jung Lee replied. “Whatever you say. We’re handing you over to the DEA.”

Lewis snickered at the veiled threat. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t dealt with the DEA before. “Maybe I’ll get to say hello to Agent Michel again. While I’m there, I’ll have to give Curtis a call too.” Most of his other major players at the Olympics had been outed for the druggies they were or been apprehended already. Yates disappeared into the wind. Obviously he’d taken some kind of deal. Eventually, he’d find him.

“Keep talking,” Lee replied. “Keep digging yourself further into the ground.”

“I have the best defense lawyers money can buy. I’ll be out soon.”

They couldn’t let that happen, but something in Lee told him they were going to have to pull out all the stops to keep Lewis behind bars.

\---

After handing Lewis over to the DEA, the Korean authorities were cleared to head back to the Olympics for the closing ceremonies, but when they entered the station everyone was abuzz. “What happened?” Lee asked.

His second in command led him over to the cell where Curtis was being kept until his transfer to maximum security. Around his neck was a sheet, looped tightly, his lips blue. “We found him like this this morning.” Lee rubbed his temples, smacking the bars.

“Was there any evidence of foul play?”

The officer shook his head. “Should there have been?”

“Lewis told me he was going to give Curtis a call.” Knowing Lewis, he’d probably gotten to one of Lee’s own men.

“I’ll keep my eyes open.” The two exchanged a look before the officer continued. “You need to get to the ceremonies, Sir.”

As he walked out of the station, a curtain of dread fell over him. The small potatoes were all accounted for, but the big one still had his mountain of money behind him. Did they have enough to keep Lewis behind bars for good?

\---

Unlike the opening ceremonies, all athletes walked in together - a symbol of unity after healthy competition. “Ready?” Tara asked, her hand slipped comfortably into Emily’s.

“You realize that was the first thing you said to me?”

“Oh yea. Call it serendipity.”

As they started their way into the stadium, Emily gave Tara’s hand a squeeze. “Looking forward to the next Olympics?”

“Absolutely.” Tara had every intention of going into 2022 with even more confidence. “What about you?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. At first, she assumed this would be her last, but maybe she would train for one more. After all, ice ran through her veins. “Maybe I will go for one more.”

“And I’ll be there to cheer you on,” Tara replied, smiling as the lights from the crowd caught her eyes.

Emily raised her eyebrow. “Four years down the road? You’re gonna be there?”

“Yea,” she said softly. “I think I will.”

\---

“Lemme see, lemme see, lemme see,” Ally exclaimed. She was jumping up and down and nearly knocking the surrounding athletes over. Spencer had just casually mentioned that he’d picked out a ring for Remy. “Finally! You’re gonna get married and she’ll be my sister-in-law and you’ll live happily ever after.”

JJ walked nearby, smiling wide and marveling at the beautiful diamond solitaire. “I’m so happy for you, Spence.”

“Thanks. I hope she says yes.”

Ally’s mouth dropped open. “Of course she’s going to say yes.”

“Will you be my Best Woman?” He laughed.

Ally jumped up and down again, starting to cry. A rollercoaster of emotions was accurate. “Of course.”

“And JJ, will you be a…groomswoman? Is that it?”

“Sure, and absolutely!” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “This gonna be a big or small wedding?”

“Well, I’ll have to invite Hotch, and that means Haley and Jack, and then there’s Radha obviously, and…”

Something told JJ it was going to be a rather large wedding.

\---

“I still can’t believe she’s gone,” Matt said. He was happy with his Olympics from a personal point of view, but with everything that had happened he wasn’t exactly sure how to feel. “I mean she wasn’t who I thought she was, but still.”

Jack Garrett stood at his side. After being looked over 18 million different ways, the hospital discharged him. He was still a little weak, but he was okay enough to walk in the closing ceremonies. His medal was obviously taken away, but he was alive and he had the opportunity to try again next Olympics. Considering everything that happened, he was grateful for that much.

“Yea, I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to forgive her though.” He had so many conflicting emotions. Barnes had drugged him. He’d trusted her. “But no one deserves that.” A comfortable silence hung between and then Jack switched the line of thought. “How’s Kristy and the baby?” 

“Good,” Matt replied, smiling. “He’s gonna be here any day now.”

“You planning on having more?” Jack laughed. “You’re on a roll.”

“Oh yea, definitely. I’ve gotta have a girl.”

“You keep trying, buddy.”

\---

“Hey ladies,” Derek called, running up in between two lovely brunettes. “I’m Derek Morgan. And you’re Elle Greenaway and Kate Callahan, right?”

Ah, the smooth skier. “That’s us,” Elle laughed, extending her hand. She and Kate had bumped into each other before walking into the stadium. “You cleaned out this Olympics.”

“I’d say I did myself proud,” he said softly. And hopefully his father too. “The two of you didn’t do too badly yourselves. Right, comeback queen?”

Elle took a bow, eliciting a laugh from Derek and Kate. “All I ever wanted was to fly again, so I got my wish. It’s my last one though. Olympics, I mean.”

“Yea?” Kate was debating, but pursuing one more was winning out. “It’s like a drug. I think I might be going for one more, but I need to ride out the high of this one first. “

Derek nodded vigorously. “Exactly, I feel like I want to do another one, but maybe that’s just because I feel like I’m on cloud nine right now.”

“Well, I promise that if you’re both going for another one, I’ll be cheering you on from my comfortable couch in 2022,” Elle laughed. That would be a change of pace – just chilling, no pressure, watching all the sports she loved with some hot cocoa in her hand – that sounded wonderful.

\---

One gold medal run and a pregnancy announcement later, Luke and Penelope were able to get the pregnancy confirmed officially by an Olympic doctor. “I think having this baby is going to make it easier to let go of competitive skating,” Penelope said as they walked into the stadium.

“Makes sense. Our time was so consumed by skating, and now it’s gonna be a baby instead.” He rested his hand on his wife’s stomach, excited about the baby bump that was going to be emerging within the next few months. “We have to think about names!”

Penelope’s eyes went wide. “Oh yes! What about Brooke? Or Lana? Or Oliver for a boy? Or-“

“I like Oliver, what about Oliver Luke?” His smile was so cheesy Penelope snorted.

“I love that. Okay that was easy. What about if it’s a girl?”

That one was harder. The entire walk through the stadium they debated on names. Either one loved a name, the other loved a name, or they both just liked one. Nothing was really striking them. “Well, we have time,” Penelope laughed. They sat down to get ready for all the musical guests and presentations yet to come. “I’m getting hungry. Maybe we go grab something after this?”

“I have a candy bar in my pocket. You wanna split that now?”

“I knew there was a reason I married you.”

\---

After years and years and years of hard work, they’d all completed their journeys. Some had been nothing but spectacular, no bumps in the road, just jumps to be conquered and slopes to be dominated. Others had been tested to their fullest ability and stumbled along the way. Some of them would come back in four years time to dominate again. To participate in the sport they loved on a worldwide scale, and for others, this was their Swan Song, but their stories were only beginning.


End file.
